Meet Kāpiti and Porirua’s Cookie Time Christmas Cookies seller Kerry Zhou

Cookie Time Christmas Cookies Kāpiti Porirua seller Kerry Zhou. Photo / David Haxton

Each day in the lead-up to Christmas Day is super-busy for Kerry Zhou, who is the Kāpiti-Porirua seller of Cookie Time Christmas Cookies.

Zhou, 18, who is studying health science at Otago University, was one of a record 1745 applicants for a Cookie Time selling role throughout the country.

The applicants were whittled down to 102, with Zhou given the Kāpiti and Porirua areas to canvass.

“It was quite exciting and I didn’t expect it.”

Zhou, who lives in Wellington City, was keen to become a seller because “it’s such a cool job and so different to any other summer job”.

“You work for seven weeks and then get the summer off.”

But she certainly has to work hard to get her cut from each sale.

“I’ve got thousands of buckets to sell.

“The average seller sells around 5000 buckets.

“They do sell themselves, but you do have to remind people a little bit.

“It is definitely quite rewarding financially, and overall it’s such a cool experience.

“You also learn so many useful skills to run your own business such as stock management, logistics, inventory, banking, product distribution, marketing, forecasting sales, GST, and paperwork.”

A whole day is probably 12 to 14 hours.

Kerry Zhou

From Monday to Friday she goes to businesses and takes orders, then she does some roadside selling later in the day, before going home and counting stock and money and doing email admin too.

On weekends it’s places like The Warehouse Paraparaumu where she sets up camp.

Kerry Zhou selling Cookie Time Christmas Cookies in Kāpiti Rd, Paraparaumu. Photo / David Haxton

The best way of knowing her whereabouts is by checking the Cookie Time Christmas Cookies – Kāpiti Coast and Porirua Facebook page.

Zhou will be at the Kāpiti Food Fair on Saturday, December 3, at Mazengarb Reserve, Paraparaumu.

She uses an app and website that help to keep on top of things.

“A whole day is probably 12 to 14 hours.”

“It’s lots of fun and you get to meet lots of people.

“There are job opportunities too.

“I think the average seller gets three job offers across the campaign.”

Zhou said Cookie Time donates to the Cookie Time Charitable Trust, from sales.

“The trust opened in 2003, and so far we have donated $2 million to the trust from cookie sales.

This year our headline charity is the Dyslexia Foundation NZ and we also have ongoing support for KidsCan and St John.

Cookie Time was founded in 1983 by 21-year-old Michael Mayell who started it by cooking biscuits at home in Christchurch with his mother, before Cookie Time Christmas Cookies launched two years later and is now in its 37th year.

To order , call 0800 XCOOKIE or email kerry.zhou@christmascookies.co.nz

One bucket is $20 or three for $57, gluten free is $18 each or two for $35.